Delhi Police revives ‘Operation Majnu’

After almost a decade in cold storage, ‘Operation Majnu’ has been resurrected.

The operation was hailed as one of the Delhi Police’s most innovative initiatives at checking crime against women and teaching its perpetrators a rather unforgettable lesson in full public view.

In fact, the most recent chapter of the ‘behave yourself campaign’ has already claimed its first victim. The campaign sees women police personnel visiting public places incognito, putting themselves at the receiving end of ‘unbecoming behaviour’ from keen-eyed, potential molesters before fighting back and hauling them to the nearest police station.

“On Wednesday afternoon, one DS Chouhan, 43, a manager at a reputed printing press, was arrested from the MD Road bus stop in Saket around noon after he tried to molest constable Sushila,” said Chhaya Sharma, DCP (south).

Sources said the ‘operation’ also included travelling on DTC buses during morning and evening rush hours, visiting malls, public parks and areas around colleges located in south campus. As many as 652 cases of molestation were registered by the Delhi Police in 2012.

Senior officers recalled the major success that the force had been able to achieve and the message that it had been able to impart when the operation had been in full swing in the early 2000s.

“I recall even an Indian Army Major and several professors were arrested for molestation. The message of zero tolerance and a fear of being caught red-handed had become major deterrents for crime against women,” said an officer.